New coach won't matter unless old Lakers return

The Lakers just had the most accomplished head coach in the history of professional sports, and they played as if being led by a corpse. If they couldn't win just once against Dallas for the legendary Phil Jackson, why would anyone be convinced they'd now respond better to, well, to whomever?

This no doubt is a major decision in the history of a franchise known for making history, a decision that could go a long way in determining whether Kobe Bryant wins another NBA title.

But the reality is this move has a better chance of messing up the Lakers than it does of re-making the Lakers. Another Rudy Tomjanovich-type hire, for example, would leave Bryant lamenting a second consecutive wasted year.

Yet, more important than the Lakers' coaching throughout next season will be the Lakers' thinking. Mindset and attitude, those things will decide this team's fate before some guy in a suit does.

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